Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a separation device, a fixing device, and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a separation device for separating a recording medium from an endless belt, a fixing device for fixing a toner image on a recording medium, and an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium.
Related Art
Various types of electrophotographic image forming apparatuses are known, including copiers, printers, facsimile machines, and multifunction machines having two or more of copying, printing, scanning, facsimile, plotter, and other capabilities. Such image forming apparatuses usually form an image on a recording medium according to image data. Specifically, in such image forming apparatuses, for example, a charger uniformly charges a surface of a photoconductor serving as an image carrier. An optical writer irradiates the surface of the photoconductor thus charged with a light beam to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor according to the image data. A development device supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image thus formed to render the electrostatic latent image visible as a toner image. The toner image is then transferred onto a recording medium either directly, or indirectly via an intermediate transfer belt. Finally, a fixing device applies heat and pressure to the recording medium carrying the toner image to fix the toner image onto the recording medium. Thus, the image is formed on the recording medium.
Such a fixing device typically includes a fixing rotary body such as a roller, a belt, or a film, and an opposed rotary body such as a roller or a belt pressed against the fixing rotary body. The toner image is fixed onto the recording medium under heat and pressure while the recording medium is conveyed between the fixing member and the opposed member.
For example, a fixing device may include an endless belt heated by a heater while rotating and a rotary body to press against an outer circumference surface of the endless belt to form a fixing nip between the rotary body and the endless belt. A recording medium such as a paper sheet bearing a toner image is conveyed through the fixing nip while being heated. Thus, the fixing device fixes the toner image on the recording medium.
Such a fixing device may include a separation supporter to support separation of the recording medium from the endless belt to prevent the recording medium from wrapping around the endless belt after passing between the endless belt and the rotary body due to, e.g., viscosity of toner melting under heat.